NEW YORK — It’s time to think of the inside of your carry-on suitcase as real estate: Make the most of what you’ve got, keep it functional and make neatness count.

The carry-on bag could be the solution to some of the summer travel season’s likely woes — including checked baggage fees on American Airlines and possibly other carriers — but it also has the potential to cause headaches. You don’t want to find a rumpled mess when you arrive at your destination or spend your vacation shivering or sweating because you weren’t ready for the weather.

It is possible to pack fashionable clothes in an efficient way. Some tips from the pros:

Choosing a good bag

Wendy Perrin, consumer news editor for Conde Nast Traveler, uses a standard rectangular-shaped bag with wheels for business trips because clothes are less likely to become wrinkled. For recreational travel, however, she prefers soft-sided duffel bags.

“One way to pack play clothes to fit into space more economically is to roll them and stuff them into a bag like cigarettes into a cigarette box,” she says.

Perrin doesn’t buy into bags with a lot of compartments, mostly because all those zippers, flaps and folds add unnecessary weight. Instead, she separates undergarments and socks into one zip-top plastic bag, tech gear such as cords and batteries into another, and all toiletries in yet another. (Any liquid needs to be stored in a see-through bag.)

“You want to start with the empty cavern and make your own compartments with smaller packs,” agrees travel-gear store Flight 001 founder Brad John.

John says that you might be asked to open carry-on bags during a security check. It will go much more smoothly if items are organized than if everything comes spilling out.

But Deborah Lloyd, co-president and design director for Kate Spade, insists her bag has a roomy outside pocket for easy access to her laptop computer, which is kept in a protective sleeve, and her magazines.

Carry-on bags tend to be treated more gently than checked bags, so Lloyd says there is an opportunity to choose more of a fashion-forward bag than basic black. Plus, she adds, a bright color or graphic print — she’s starting to use a black-and-white pattern bag with black patent leather stripes — will make it easy to find your bag in the overcrowded overhead bins.

Also, be mindful of your airline’s size limit for carry-on bags. American’s, for example, is 45 linear inches.

What to pack

Perrin chooses a neutral color palette — maybe blue and tan, maybe black and white — and then sticks with it for the trip. By limiting the colors and patterns, everything matches and there’s no need for that extra sweater to go with the lime green skirt. To keep her wardrobe from being boring, she’ll pack colorful scarves, which, she notes, take up very little room in a bag.

Susan Foster, author of “Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler,” tucks her accessories into her shoes, filling up what would just be wasted space.

And bring things you love: If you’re going to wear the same sweater several days in a row, make sure it’s one that makes you feel good, says Foster, who also runs www.smartpacking .com.

“If I have my favorite choices, I don’t mind wearing them day after day. You can always wear them in different combinations,” she says.

Jersey fabrics, as well as washable silks and athletic fabrics, usually pack flat and travel well, according to Foster. She recently became sold on The Limited’s new travel suit, made in a polyester-wool-and-Lycra blend, because it has a slimmer, more modern cut than most travel-specific clothes.

Perrin believes in the layered look, with enough T-shirts, camisoles or shells for each day, but only one sweater and a light, water-resistant jacket to go on top.

Toiletries tend to take up a lot of room and liquid products are also subject to the 3-ounce security rule, so Foster has moved toward dry products, such as a stick deodorant and mineral cover-up makeup, when she can. She’ll also pack shampoo with a built-in conditioner and moisturizer with SPF.

Some business travelers are forgoing the toiletry hassle altogether, ordering travel-size products (she recommends www .minimus.biz) to be waiting for them at their hotel.

What to leave home

“A different outfit for every day is the worst strategy because you might need different shoes, a different handbag and different accessories for each one,” Foster says.

Instead, she suggests, switch out only the pieces that other people notice. “Change the tops, scarves, etc., but who’ll notice which black pants I’m wearing today?”

Jeans might be the basis for many vacationers’ wardrobes, but not Foster. They’re too bulky, can’t effectively be washed in the sink and take too long to dry, she says.

Too many shoes are the downfall of many packers. Women shouldn’t travel with more than three pairs, Foster says, and men, simply because their shoes have a larger profile in the suitcase, shouldn’t have more than two.

For most trips, she can live with a comfortable pair of walking shoes and a pair of dressier shoes for dinner.

Watch for stains with this kit

NEW YORK — You packed light, figuring a couple of outfits could get you through. That was before the coffee landed on your lap.

But before you go searching for a same-day service dry cleaners or rushing to the mall, there are some things you can do to get the stain out without spending money or sneaking club soda into your carry-on.

Here are some things the experts recommend you bring or find at your destination if you run into trouble:

• Lemon dish detergent. Helps remove grease, lipstick and mascara stains, says Joseph Hallak Jr. of Hallak Cleaners. Pack in a small bottle (less than 3 ounces for carry-on).

• Blue laundry detergent. Hallak says it works well on blood stains.

• Shout Wipes. They work great on stains in wash-and-wear fabric, says Anne Hankey, an instructor in Fashion Marketing and Management at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. She advises against using them on cashmere or silk.

• Stain stick. Good for pretreating a stain until you can get to the dry cleaners, Hankey says. Janie Dry Stick helps remove grease stains and works well on lighter-colored garments, Hallak says.

• Forever New. The fabric care wash works best on delicates, Hankey says. Soak the stain in the powder-water solution, blot it and then rinse. The wash also refreshes garments, making them smell nicer, she says.

• Baking soda. A paste works well as a pretreatment for oil and blood stains. Follow up with laundering when you get back, Hankey says.

• White wine. For removing red wine, put a little white wine on the stain and soak it in water, Hankey says.

• Woolite packets. Good for hand-washing garments in the sink.

• Q-tips for dabbing at the stain. Rubbing is a no-no.

Watch for stains with this kit

NEW YORK — You packed light, figuring a couple of outfits could get you through. That was before the coffee landed on your lap.

But before you go searching for a same-day service dry cleaners or rushing to the mall, there are some things you can do to get the stain out without spending money or sneaking club soda into your carry-on.

Here are some things the experts recommend you bring or find at your destination if you run into trouble:

• Lemon dish detergent. Helps remove grease, lipstick and mascara stains, says Joseph Hallak Jr. of Hallak Cleaners. Pack in a small bottle (less than 3 ounces for carry-on).

• Blue laundry detergent. Hallak says it works well on blood stains.

• Shout Wipes. They work great on stains from wash-and-wear fabric, says Anne Hankey, an instructor in Fashion Marketing and Management at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. She advises against using them on cashmere or silk.

• Stain stick. Good for pretreating a stain until you can get to the dry cleaners, says Hankey. Janie Dry Stick helps remove grease stains and works well on lighter colored garments, says Hallak.

• Forever New. The fabric care wash works best on delicates, says Hankey. Soak the stain in the powder-water solution, blot it, and then rinse. The wash also refreshes garments, making them smell nicer, she says.

• Baking soda. A paste works well as a pretreatment for oil and blood stains. Follow up with laundering when you get back, says Hankey.

• White wine. For removing red wine, put a little white wine on the stain and soak it in water, says Hankey.

• Woolite packets. Good for hand-washing garments in the sink.

• Q-tips for dabbing at the stain. Rubbing is a no-no.